The “moral victory” theme was used in the Smizik column in the Post-Gazette today. Whatever

Bendel in the Tribune-Review goes with the idea that UConn-Pitt is now the Big East rivalry. Umm. No. Let’s hold off on making this the thing that Georgetown-Syracuse was for so many years until Pitt shows they can maintain the level of achievement. Right now, it is merely the hot game in the Big East.

The three NYC dailies all had stories on the game. The Post; Daily News and Times. All spoke well of Pitt. The Daily News had also run a story on the NYC pipeline running to Pitt — essentially attributing it to the problems at St. John’s.

The Hartford Courant didn’t do a lot of crowing about the home team. Just a sense of relief that they won.

I would apologize for digressing from this site’s heady discussion on the close loss to UConn and the subsequent Panther basketball media hype. But if you’ve ever met any of the authors of PSB, you’d know that conversational digressions are pretty much ubiquitous around here.

(And yes, once again, I’m pretending that somebody besides the authors actually reads this site.)

But for those of us who get wrapped up in football recruiting enough to be actually concerned about Ohio State, Penn State, and (to a far lesser extent) UCLA courting Pitt blue chip verbal commitments QB Anthony Morelli and RB Andrew Johnson, ESPN’s recruiting analyst Tom Lemming offers some reassuring words in his latest chat. And before we get any critical comments on Buckeye Fan’s ability to spell, remember some of the spelling difficulties that we’ve had on this site (and we have a spellchecker, fer chrissakes).

John (C’bus): Tom – any chance that OSU can land the Penny. trio of Morelly, Johson and Bryant?

Tom Lemming: I think you mean Anthony Morelli, Andrew Johnson and James Bryant — don’t do this to me again, I’m not that bright to begin with and when you mis-spell everyone’s name, it causes me a lot of trouble. I think Pitt has the best shot at landing this trio, but if any else has a legit shot of pulling them out of western PA it would be the Buckeyes of Ohio State.

Although I generally don’t hyphenate the word “misspell,” I tend to agree with Lemming. This is more than likely a tempest in a teacup. Morelli and Johnson probably know that they would be better off at Pitt (especially Morelli), both are surrounded by Pitt alumni, plus Ohio State rarely ever raids another school’s verbals (not that there’s anything wrong with that). Still, it’s a situation worth keeping an eye on.

Is it just me, or is Queer Eye for the Straight Guy starting to get old? You can only use the same slob jokes so many times. It’s a shame, really. I liked that show when it first came out, plus now I have nothing to watch on Tuesdays.

Hail to some freakin’ snowmelt already.

I wonder how much people must have been undervaluing Pitt, prior to the UConn game. It seems in a Pitt loss, the team has gotten more respect and recognition.

Losing to Connecticut 68-65 in the final possession shouldn’t mar any of the accomplishments. This team, this program and this coach are as tough as they’ve ever been in the Steel City, maybe even tougher.

How do we know?

Listen to the respect that the Huskies heap on the Panthers. And this isn’t coachspeak or a few courtesy comments from a team that will play them again in the regular season. The Huskies genuinely respect Pittsburgh and call them easily their toughest rival in the Big East. Playing them in back-to-back Big East tournament title games (they’ve split the last two) earned the Panthers the right to move ahead of Syracuse as Connecticut’s latest nemesis.

“Tonight’s game wasn’t for everyone,” UConn coach Jim Calhoun said of the demands the game would make on his players. “Their system is tough. They screen you so much and hit you so much. I’m sure there is an awful lot of contact at their practices. … Jamie is demanding nothing but the best from them. They’re the best I’ve seen at getting you out of position before the ball comes to you. You catch the ball and all of a sudden you’re not where you’re supposed to be.”

ESPN moved Pitt into the #7 position in their “Power 16.” Now maybe I’m just not used to the positive vibes going to Pitt. Or maybe the Pitt football team has scarred me even deeper than I realized, but this is getting a little silly. Yes, Pitt is a very good team. Very likely will be battling for the Big East title and another Sweet 16 run. Beyond that, I just don’t know yet. This all seems a little excessive, and a little too predicated on a couple games on ESPN in the last week plus (Self-question: doesn’t that just reflect the importance and value of getting into the national rotation for games on ESPN? Doesn’t that help make it self perpetuating? Yes and it can but plenty have fallen off the perch — UMass, Seton Hall, NC St., LSU, Utah, the list can go on. The point was that the whole thing now is skewed the other direction in how the media feels about Pitt.) A little perspective, please.

As Shawn said to me the other night, if Pitt can split the games this week then we know how legitimate they are. Pitt has another big road game Saturday night against Syracuse — the defending National Champs. Pitt needs a win on the road against a ranked opponent to prove they are near as good as people are now saying they are. As good as Pitt played Monday night, it was still a loss. That was their one “moral” victory for the year. There are no more of those. The game looks even tougher following the ‘Cuse’s loss to Seton Hall this past night — even if Syracuse sophomore guard Gerry McNamara is questionable with a groin injury.

Finally, can people stop declaring that Jamie Dixon was clearly the right choice as if there is nothing to debate. That won’t be known for sure for a couple years. Anyone remember the job by Bruiser Flint in following John Calipari at UMass? Looked good for the first year, but then things fell apart. I like the job Dixon has done so far, and the team is definitely listening (free throw shooting, excepted); but it is time to tone things down.